Every good hostess enjoys planning a good “tablescape.” The tablescape is the decorative and creative arrangement of objects, tableware, and a centerpiece that creates a visual ambiance

around a table. Light linen tablecloths and spring floral arrangements plead their case for theperfect girly brunch. Dark velvet runners and brass candlesticks flickering with soft light create

 the right mood for a romantic dinner.The tablescape sets the atmosphere for the people sitting around it.  As a good hostess, we use the landscape of the table to help allure the heart of the people who will be around it.

As women who love to host, we spend a lot of time thinking about what we set on our tables; yet, scripture asks us to spend time thinking about what happens around our tables.

Throughout the Bible, tables are used to convey different scenarios. I want to point you to four of the prominent tables I’ve noticed over the years of studying the Word.

First, there is a table that Jesus overturned. In Matthew 21:12–13, Mark 11, and John 2,Jesus enters the temple and overturns the tables of the money changers. Jesus isn’t anti-table.

He’s anti-what the table had become. The temple was supposed to be a place of worship and prayer, but the tables in the temple had become places of commerce and exploitation.  Religious people had taken something sacredand made it serve themselves.

In the same way, our tables can become places of comparison, performance, gossip, exclusion, busyness, or even just appearances; when they are supposed to be a place of relationship and worship.

Second, there is a table that God prepares. God doesn’t say, I’ll prepare a table once all your enemies are gone;” instead, He prepares the table in their presence. What I’ve discovered is

 that God will provide a place for you even in the midst of opposition and hard circumstances.His peace doesn’t require the absence of enemies, and His goodness doesn’t require the room

 to be perfect.The mismatched plates? The kids spilling their drinks? The hard conversation? The unexpected guest? The imperfect marriage? The strained friendship? The family in transition? Maybe those

are still part of a holy table, because He prepared it.

Third, there is a table that Jesus sits at. All throughout the New Testament, we see Jesus seated around various tables. He ate with tax collectors and sinners. He accepted invitations

into people’s homes. He had his feet washed at a table. He washed others’ feet at a table. He sat at tables with people who were nothing like Him.You know what this tells us about Jesus? He didn’t just preach to people.  He ate with them and talked to them and knew them well enough to be invited into their homes.There is something deeply relational about a table. You can preach from a platform to hundreds of people. But at a table, you have to look someone in the eye.You have to pass the bread.You hear their stories. You notice who is quiet. You make room for those who seem uncomfortable.

And if we set our tables with the right heart, the love we put in will be the best part of the tablescape. Our tables can become places where people experience the hospitality of Jesus before they ever hear us talk about Jesus.

Last, there is a table we are invited to sit at.

It says in Revelation 19:9,

“…Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” We don’t earn our place at the table. We are invited by Jesus to the table. What grace! He invites us because he is a Good Host; not because we are good guests. And because His table is so good, we will be there for eternity, basking in the sweetness of His presence, the feeling of belonging, and the beauty of communion. So the next time you hear the word tablescape, instead of thinking about linens, candles, flowers, dishes, place settings, and centerpieces; I encourage you to think about who is around the table. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with making a table beautiful, what good is the outward appearance of the table if the heart around it isn’t set?

Let me ask you: What are we setting on the table besides the plates? Are we setting down comparison? Setting down our agendas? Setting down our phones? Setting down our defenses? Are we making room for the lonely? Are we making room for the girl no one else notices? Are we making room for the neighbor who doesn’t believe what we believe? Are we making room for Jesus?

The most beautiful tablescape isn’t necessarily the one with the prettiest centerpiece or he table viewed in the most Instagram-worthy photos. It’s the table where Jesus is present, people are known, grace is served, and there is always room for one more.